Review- in most of our courses, we spend the first few weeks reviewing grammar and vocabulary from previous years. I think most of us would like to spend less time on this (four weeks is a lot, for example, in Spanish 2, to review), and maybe next year during second semester we can try to figure out how to slow down and spend more time on new topics so that the review time the following year can be decreased in order to allow for more time to learn new material. One suggestion was to integrate review throughout the year and to recycle material. Dominique mentioned integrating a lot of culture into the review section and then putting the grammar and vocabulary as “skills”.
Essential questions- we looked at questions from Spanish 7 and Spanish 5: C and C to see if we were on board with the culture/ grammar combo- we were.
Communicative competence- ensuring that students can converse well in the language. Some factors that interfere with this can be not having enough time in class, an intimidation to speak, need to spend more time in class speaking, not all students can have quality conversation every day. In AP Language, this is not an issue as the students are well-prepared to speak, but how about non-AP kids? Some ideas to promote speaking:
-pair kids off using language together -exchange teachers for last 10 minutes of class? -Having rubrics for oral presentations/ assessments for oral presentations -Spontaneous conversation- but NEED to supervise SIP Discussion
Interdisciplinary/Global Awareness
How do we define Interdisciplinary?Is it necessary to have a teaching partner in another department?Is it team teaching?Or, is it teaching geography, ecology, religion, and history in a World Language class?
Use MAP for communication.Can we search by word on Atlas for specific themes, e.g., Existentialism?
Seventh grade has team meetings to discuss themes:e.g., Human Rights for Seventh Grade.Challenge for U/S:students in one grade do not take the same courses.How will U/S teachers learn what other teachers in their grade are teaching?Idea:brief presentations at all-school meetings by Department Heads.
Ethics.Teach respect for religion and traditions of other cultures in World Language classes of all levels.
Greening/Global Awareness
Interdisciplinary topic of Bolivian environment between Spanish and Science classes (brainstorming idea)
Experiential learning day for Seventh graders on Island Clean up Day.
Emphasize Brazil (location of tropical rain forest) in World Civilization and Flex courses.
Readings and discussions on pollution and the environment in target language in World Language classes, all levels. U/S French classes plant palm trees in coordination with book, The Man Who Planted Trees (experiential learning).
Integration of Technology
Use SmartBoards in all classes.Challenges:pens go missing, system decalibrates itself easily, some colors don’t work or smear, class time is wasted. Faculty wants to use the technology, but universally state that the technology is often problematic.Once we lose our technology, we lose our class.
SmartBoards are good for completing worksheets on the board.Invite Ana Meneses or Marisa Phirangee to give a class.
We LOVE the document camera.It never fails.Students love to work on it.It’s the best!!!!
Research 1. Intention to use library databases for Flex and research projects in all World Language classes. 2. Students in middle school know how to use computer for entertainment but have not been formally introduced yet to using it for academic research.
- Review- in most of our courses, we spend the first few weeks reviewing grammar and vocabulary from previous years. I think most of us would like to spend less time on this (four weeks is a lot, for example, in Spanish 2, to review), and maybe next year during second semester we can try to figure out how to slow down and spend more time on new topics so that the review time the following year can be decreased in order to allow for more time to learn new material. One suggestion was to integrate review throughout the year and to recycle material. Dominique mentioned integrating a lot of culture into the review section and then putting the grammar and vocabulary as “skills”.
- Essential questions- we looked at questions from Spanish 7 and Spanish 5: C and C to see if we were on board with the culture/ grammar combo- we were.
- Communicative competence- ensuring that students can converse well in the language. Some factors that interfere with this can be not having enough time in class, an intimidation to speak, need to spend more time in class speaking, not all students can have quality conversation every day. In AP Language, this is not an issue as the students are well-prepared to speak, but how about non-AP kids? Some ideas to promote speaking:
- pair kids off using language together- exchange teachers for last 10 minutes of class?
- Having rubrics for oral presentations/ assessments for oral presentations
- Spontaneous conversation- but NEED to supervise
SIP Discussion
Interdisciplinary/Global Awareness
Greening/Global Awareness
Integration of Technology
Research
1. Intention to use library databases for Flex and research projects in all World Language classes.
2. Students in middle school know how to use computer for entertainment but have not been formally introduced yet to using it for academic research.